


i will find my way back to you

by crowskullz



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Emotionally Repressed, M/M, Pining, Post-Timeskip (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Slow Burn, as slow as it can be in 1000 words, dimiclaude
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-11 17:17:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20157217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crowskullz/pseuds/crowskullz
Summary: [ FE3H BLUE LIONS ROUTE SPOILERS ]He bows with a flourish, running his fingers briefly through his dark locks when he straightens again, that easy, cool smile still curling his lips, as if it had never left from all that time ago. "Miss me, your Majesty?"





	i will find my way back to you

**Author's Note:**

> my first fe fic, and my first fic in a long time! wanted some soft dimiclaude. sorry if claude isn't super in character, haven't finished golden deer route! this is based in the blue lions route ending

"Ah.. Claude!" The Savior King, his very own Dimitri, got to his feet as he entered the throne room. From the look of pleasant surprise on his face, Claude can't help but smile too, relieved that he was apparently happy to see him. He bows with a flourish, running his fingers briefly through his dark locks when he straightens again, that easy, cool smile still curling his lips, as if it had never left from all that time ago. "Miss me, your Majesty?" His natural instinct to the new formality is to laugh lightly after he says it, which Dimitri takes no offense to. "I-- really, Claude, I thought you left Fódlan! How are you, old friend? No need for formalities." He steps down from the throne as he speaks, coming to stand by Claude, his grip gentle on his arm, but the touch is only fleeting. Before Claude can answer, he lets go, turning toward the long hall that unfolded before them through the palace. "I did! But hey, is it impossible for me to come back? Not like I'm an exile._ I'm_ good, the real question is how are _you_?" He steps forward to close the distance between the two of them, trying to catch another glimpse of the king's face past his hair.

Dimitri turns to him and _smiles_. He smiles like he used to, all the world's light wrapped up in one man's lips, pure and kind. "I'm glad. I'm doing well, thank you." His breath momentarily catches in his throat, biting the inside of his lip as something flutters in his chest at the sight of Dimitri so.. happy. A year and a half ago, when he last saw him, they were still in the midst of war, and Dimitri was.. to say the least, like he'd never seen him before. But it seemed like he hadn't caught the worst of it, either. He knew, in his own way, that Dimitri had it in him to kill. He heard whispers of a monster, secretly lurking behind the soft blue eyes of the prince. Sometimes he found himself momentarily lost in those eyes, as if looking open-faced up into the sky on a sunny day, the bright blue enveloping him. There were clouds some days, but it never stormed, and he never got stalked by some creature from the depths. But he knew it to be true, even if there was no real monster. It was simply Dimitri, a young man who needed help. He would never fear him. Of course, he never got to tell Dimitri that-- there was never a reason or time to. Sometimes they had dinner and laughed together, with Claude making poorly thought out jokes and Dimitri finding them absolutely hilarious, as he did any terrible joke, and Claude was ecstatic to see him so happy. Something about his smile was contagious, and something about his happiness formed butterflies in Claude's stomach.

He snaps back to reality, Dimitri still watching him in silence, though he realizes his smile is hardly there, idle. He shakes his head, laughing nonchalantly as if he hadn't zoned out for goddess knows how long. "Sorry. I-- I guess I just haven't seen you smile like that.. just, in years." He says stupidly, and admittedly unintentionally, but surely he could play it off. Dimitri is caught off guard by that, of course. "I.. suppose so. I.. Claude, I'm so sorry for my behavior the last time we met. I.. I've learned a lot, in this time. I've learned how to move on. That man you saw, even briefly-- I suppose I just lost myself. I apologize." He dips his head, his words in stark contrast to the sound of singing birds outside, rays of sunlight reaching across the vibrant blue carpet running from the base of the throne to the end of the hall, a rare warm breeze entering the palace. And the throne room save for the two of them is bare and silent. He averts his gaze away from Claude, and his smile is gone.

"Dimitri.." Claude's voice is softer now, hesitating for just a moment before he gently grabs his arm. "No hard feelings. You were going through it. I know that. It was war. Things aren't always rainbows and butterflies. Don't worry." He lets his fingers linger on the king's arm, even as he turns to face him again. "I did miss you, Claude. Genuinely. You're a very good man, and an even finer friend. Thank you." A smile returns, more muted this time. The distance between them is palpable, as is the momentary silence. There's so much left unsaid, and neither of them know how to bring it up. It made Dimitri a bit sad to realize they couldn't resume where they left off-- that Claude would leave again, and perhaps he would never see him again after that. But he thought that Claude had disappeared for good the first time he left, too, and yet here he was, radiant and shining like the sun, noticeable in the largest of crowds. So maybe it wasn't so. But there was silence where there was once laughter and close companionship, and something more secret that they both felt while sitting outside the monastery gates at night, gazing up at the star-dotted sky together, discussing anything that felt necessary in murmured voices, heard only by each other. The mood almost felt somber, a shame considering the occasion.

"Claude," Dimitri says suddenly, straightening his posture, "I would like you to take Failnaught back." Claude is taken aback by this proposition, long since having dropped the seal of the Leicester Alliance. "No, Dimitri. I gave it to you. Why would you give it back to me?" He raises an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "It feels.. wrong. That handle-- the curvature, the length.. it's yours. You should have it. Even if you're no longer the heir. Please, come." Before Claude can argue, Dimitri takes off, his royal blue cape embellished with the shield of Faerghus billowing out behind him as he walks at a rather sprightly pace, with Claude struggling to keep up at his normal leisurely fashion.

They come to what appears to be Dimitri's quarters, and Dimitri holds the door open for Claude to come in. The room is exceptionally tidy, but almost pitifully bare, showing that he hadn't been back for long. He comes to a large cherry wood case at the end of his bed, sleek and shining with dark gloss, as if brand new. He lifts the lid, revealing the old Relic bow inside.

Even if he didn't want it back, Claude couldn't help but reach in and ghost his fingers across the handle, across the string where he once pulled deadly arrows. It hardly felt like a weapon anymore, and as far as he was concerned, it wasn't his. "I won't have it, Dimitri." As Dimitri opens his mouth to argue, he continues, "I learned something, in those five years. And I've kept to who I was taught to be since I was young. One, seize all opportunities. That's why I left. And two? Sometimes, you have to live for yourself. Because that's all you can do. I can't live up to everyone's expectations all the time. I don't think I was destined to lead. In fact? Didn't even want to. I told you that, didn't I? The Relics are for heroes. And that's just not me. And that's okay." He closes the case himself, a twinge of sorrow tugging at his heart just like it did the first time he let Failnaught go. He meets the king's eye, a subtle smile on his lips, surprise on Dimitri's. "Sometimes, you have to live for yourself," he echoes, looking briefly out the window and then back into Claude's eyes. He hesitates before speaking again, "I learned that too. The hard way. But I.." Before he seems to realize what he's doing, he reaches up, cusping Claude's soft cheek in the palm of his gauntlet, searching for something he knew well in those sharp forest green eyes. And he finds it.

"But?" A terrible moment passes before he speaks, and another before he moves, reaching up to hold his hand over Dimitri's, intertwining his fingers with Dimitri's. "I.." Dimitri bites his lip, and then the inside of his cheek, instantly averting his gaze, his cheeks dusted rosy pink. Claude finally got the touch he wanted to receive, and Dimitri finally got to give it, but it doesn't last. The king turns his back on Claude, terribly flustered, pulling his cape tight over his shoulder. This time, Claude doesn't let him get away. Not like every other time he let Dimitri escape him, and not like every other time he unknowingly escaped Dimitri. He hardly thinks about it before he presses his lips to the other man's, and while momentarily shocked from the suddenness of the kiss, he doesn't pull away, instead easing into it, pulling Claude into a warm embrace, one arm around his waist, one around his torso.

Eventually, they have to part, unfortunately, to breathe. Making up for every missed opportunity would have to wait. Claude keeps his forehead against the king's, taking a moment to catch his breath before he tosses his head back, fixing his hair after his dark curls inevitably end up in his face with a quiet chuckle. "Sometimes it's nice to live for yourself with someone else."


End file.
